Why DIY Bed Bug Treatments Are A Bad Idea

May 28, 2012

There are many cases when do-it-yourself home remedies are a great idea. You can save yourself money and learn cool new skills along the way. But let’s face it, there are some DIY tasks that are a bad idea. Bed bug treatments are one of those bad ideas. Homeowners can quickly find themselves with a much worse problem than where they started. Bed bugs are not any easy fix, treatments should always be done by a professional to protect your health and your home. Read on to discover why DIY bed bug treatments are a bad idea.

Bed bugs are great at hiding

If you think that getting all the bed bugs you see is going to take care of the problem you are mistaking. In fact any bed bugs that you see are just a tiny part of the infestation. Most bed bugs hide until they sense you breathing out carbon dioxide while you are sleeping. So any spot treatments or even tossing out the bed and getting a new one is not going to take care of the bed bug infestation. These critters are likely to be packed into spaces such as your headboard, nightstands, under carpets, behind hanging artwork, and even inside of electrical outlets.

Chemicals can be dangerous to your health

If you attempt to treat bed bugs with a chemical solution you are opening up a major risk of health problems. Many things could go wrong including using too much, using it in the wrong places, not using enough to work, not giving it enough time to air out, being too close, breathing in airborne chemicals. All of these things can threaten your health and that of your family.

Heat treatments are a fire hazard

Some people have even attempted the latest method of bed bug treatments that uses heat to kill off bed bugs and their eggs with no chemicals at all. This may seem appealing to homeowners who are afraid of misusing chemicals however this is still not a good DIY task to take on. The use of electric or gas heaters to heat a room to the recommended temperature of 120 to 135 degrees fahrenheit is a major fire hazard when done on your own. If the heaters are too close to objects, furniture, or anything flammable you could be left with a much worse situation than a bed bug infestation.

Clearly, bed bugs treatments should be left to the pros. There are so many things that could go wrong and threaten your health that makes it not worth it. For those in the Midwest including Minneapolis, MN, Omaha, NE, and Erie, IL as well as the Quadcities area, if you are experiencing a home bed bug infestation then leave the hard work to the professionals at Plunkett’s Pest Control. Our experienced team can quickly, efficiently, and safely remove bed bugs from your home. Contact us today for more information!